Be part of the community: Yoga Journal Live! NYC combines enjoyment and education

For Coral Brown, Yoga Journal Live events are more than just a weekend of workshops and classes. They’re a community.

Brown, a 41-year-old yoga teacher from East Greenwich, R.I., has attended Yoga Journal Live! events for 10 years. After her experience at the first-ever San Francisco event, she knew she’d be coming back. This year, she plans to attend the New York City event.

“My favorite part is the overwhelming sense of community,” Brown said. “At the events you’re in the presence of so many like-minded people with a common interest and passion. The event transforms the hotel with a yoga feeling.”

This year’s New York City event, which runs from April 24-28, will include sessions from inspirational voices such as New York Times bestselling author Caroline Myss, delivering the keynote address, ”Healing as a Mystical Science” on Friday evening; and Damien Echols, a wrongly convicted felon who devoutly studied meditation and energy work and was ordained into the Rinzai Buddhist tradition during his 18 years spent on death row. Echols will teach a class with internationally renowned vinyasa flow yoga teacher and spiritual activist Seane Corn.

Yoga Journal Live! events began 19 years ago in Estes Park, Colo. with the mission of bringing the Yoga Journal magazine to life. The event has since grown to five events annually in different locations. Attendees can walk the halls among the teachers with whom they have studied and read about.

“We’re really happy with the new additions this year,” said Elana Maggal, event director for Yoga Journal. “We have some new classes and some new teachers and we will have a great space set up in the middle for community gatherings, a Happy Hour, a fashion show, demos, and, of course, the marketplace.”

The event features all-day intensives taught by top yoga teachers in the country on Friday and Monday. Attendees can design their own schedules on Saturday and Sunday.

With so many options available, Maggal said that attendees are able to define their own experiences based on their interests. For yoga industry insiders, the weekend also offers continued education classes, including a Business of Yoga workshop. There’s also a free-to-the-public event with The Yoga Marketplace, exhibiting more than 60 yoga-related brands and services.

“My biggest advice to newcomers is to remember to take care of yourself,” Brown said. “Your body isn’t used to doing yoga for six hours a day, so mix it up with philosophy and lecture sessions. Those can definitely deepen your experience from an educational perspective.”

Registration for Yoga Journal Live! New York is now open. Pre-registration for events is necessary. To get early-bird pricing, register before March 28 by calling or by visiting the Yoga Journal Live website. Prices vary depending on the combination of classes and workshops for which attendees sign up.

All events and classes will be held in Midtown Manhattan at the Hilton New York, 1335 Ave. of the Americas, New York City 10019 from Friday, April 24 through Monday, April 28.

–Becca Stanek